As I noted several months ago in opposition to Mark Steyn's constant gloom about a dying Europe, birthrate trends have been known to change with rapidity.  This AP article by David Crary seems to indicate that large families have become the new suburban status symbol. 

It's barely a blip on the nation's demographic radar —— 11 percent of U.S. births in 2004 were to women who already had three children, up from 10 percent in 1995. But there seems to be a growing openness to having more than two children, in some case more than four.

 

These families cut across economic lines, though a sizable part of the increase is attributed to a baby boom in affluent suburbs, with more upper—middle—class couples deciding that a three— or four—child household can be both affordable and fun. 

 

Dr. Jeff Brown, a pediatrician affiliated with Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut's wealthy southwestern suburbs, has noticed a clear trend in recent years.

 

"I don't hear people say, 'We'll have two and then we're done,' where I used to hear that before," he said. "People are much more open to three—children families than they were 10 years ago." 

 

However, really big families remain rare, Dr. Brown said, in part because many women are giving birth at older ages....